Chapter 73

"Kee! ——"

A shrill scream pierced the air, almost tearing the eardrums. An angry voice echoed from the sky:

"Move aside, let me deal with him!"

Lin Xi and Shangguan Yaoxue's hearts sank. They remained still, their eyes barely open, looking up. They saw the sky filled with vampire witches parting like a wave, and a fiery red figure darted down swiftly.

"Vampire Queen!"

Both of them were startled. Shangguan Yaoxue closed her eyes and pretended to be dead, not moving at all. Lin Xi silently praised her quick reaction, closed his eyes, and even made his breathing almost imperceptible.

The Vampire Queen was much stronger than the other vampire witches and had a more acute sense of human presence. At this moment, if they caught her attention, they would be doomed.

In the blink of an eye, the Vampire Queen descended with a thunderous force, like a meteor from the sky, slamming into the thick energy barrier around the black-robed man.

Boom!

Lin Xi and Shangguan Yaoxue heard a deafening explosion, followed by a powerful shockwave that almost lifted them off the ground.

"This Vampire Queen is terrifyingly strong!"

Both of them were inwardly shocked.

They were lying about eighty yards away from the black-robed man, yet the shockwave still reached them with such force, indicating the immense power of the two combatants.

Neither of them dared to move, only hearing the Vampire Queen's roar mixed with the intense explosions. Countless vampire witches screamed in anger and seemed to join the battle.

"It's about time. We should leave."

When the battle reached its peak, Lin Xi woke Shangguan Yaoxue. She kept her eyes tightly shut, her nose sweating from tension.

"Ah! Yes! Let's get out of here quickly."

Shangguan Yaoxue opened her eyes.

The next moment, something shocking happened. The two "mutually destructive" individuals suddenly sprang to life and fled at an astonishing speed.

"What?! This is impossible!"

A vampire witch who saw this was so shocked that her eyes almost popped out.

However, at this moment, neither the black-robed man nor the Vampire Queen had the time to pay attention to them. Both sides were fighting with all their might, and all the vampire witches had joined the battle, making it extremely intense.

When the two were fleeing, only three or four vampire witches pursued them. The rest surrounded the black-robed man, aiding the Vampire Queen in the battle.

"Let's circle around and take advantage of the distraction. We need to get back to the Trial Gate quickly."

Lin Xi said.

"Right. Both sides are too insane. We can't handle either of them."

Shangguan Yaoxue, worried, summoned the Golden Toad to knock down a pursuing vampire witch while fleeing.

Lin Xi's sword flashed on his back, and he similarly dealt with a vampire witch that got too close, splitting her in two. The remaining vampire witch screamed in fear and fled.

The two of them now had two more vampire witch hearts.

"Ah! ——"

Suddenly, a piercing cry echoed from the distance, followed by a rumbling sound like a thousand horses galloping.

"That's the Vampire Queen's voice!"

"Is this guy really that insane?"

Both of their expressions stiffened, their faces changing. The last explosion clearly sounded like the black-robed man breaking through the encirclement.

"Bad! Run!"

The two didn't dare to stop, fleeing towards the Trial Gate with all their might.

"Bang!"

In the mountains, a trail of yellow dust stretched for nearly ten miles, finally reaching a hilltop. The dust settled, revealing a figure. The black-robed man's hair was disheveled, his body covered in deep claw marks, and his eyes were dim, but his killing intent remained strong.

Lin Xi and Shangguan Yaoxue's guess was correct.

No matter how powerful the black-robed man was, he couldn't handle a Vampire Queen on par with a Qi Condensation realm practitioner, along with the attacks of over a hundred vampire witches. His true qi wasn't infinite and would eventually be exhausted.

When he sensed Lin Xi and Shangguan Yaoxue's auras fading away, the black-robed man made a decisive move, using all his strength to severely injure the Vampire Queen. "Shoot the horse first, then the rider; capture the king first, then the bandits." With the Vampire Queen severely injured, the vampire witches fell into chaos. After killing a dozen pursuing vampire witches, the pursuit ended.

However, he was also seriously wounded.

"At this moment, if I let you escape, I wouldn't be a Qi Condensation realm practitioner!"

The black-robed man stood on the hilltop, looking at the two distant black dots. In the next moment, he formed a hand seal, his eyes emitting a strange light:

"Bloodfall Secret Technique!"

He suddenly bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood. With this blood, his aura surged, and the light in his eyes became intensely bright.

Swish!

He suddenly dashed forward, instantly transforming into a blood-colored rainbow, accompanied by a piercing scream, chasing after Shangguan Yaoxue and Lin Xi. His speed was more than twice as fast as theirs.

"Bad! Bloodfall Secret Technique! He used a technique to stimulate his potential. Now, his speed, true qi, and stamina are greatly increased. We can't fight him!"

Shangguan Yaoxue recognized the secret technique as soon as she saw the blood-colored rainbow.

"What!"

Lin Xi's face changed when he heard that the black-robed man's true qi had greatly increased.

The speed of a Qi Condensation realm practitioner was incredibly fast, covering a hundred yards in the blink of an eye. Although he was initially far from Lin Xi and Shangguan Yaoxue, it only took a moment for the distance to close significantly.

Lin Xi's expression changed, his eyes flashing with numerous thoughts.

In their current situation, they needed at least the time it takes to burn an incense stick to reach the Trial Gate. However, it was clear that the black-robed man would catch up before they reached it. With the Bloodfall Secret Technique, even if Lin Xi and Shangguan Yaoxue fought together, they wouldn't be a match, and they would be doomed.

"Go on without me!"

Lin Xi suddenly stopped.

"You're crazy!"

Shangguan Yaoxue was shocked. Lin Xi's actions were too surprising.

Lin Xi's expression was calm:

"If we both run, we will surely die. One of us must stay behind to buy time for the other to escape."

Lin Xi spoke the truth. In front of a Qi Condensation realm practitioner, there was no room for侥幸 (侥幸 means侥幸, but in this context, it means "侥幸" or "侥幸").

The gap between the Tenth Level of Martial Arts and the Qi Condensation realm was too great!

Shangguan Yaoxue was innocent and had nothing to do with this. She was dragged into this mess by him. Lin Xi wasn't a person who would sacrifice himself for others, but he couldn't bear to see Shangguan Yaoxue die because of him.

At the very least, his conscience wouldn't allow it.

The current situation was a death trap. Without the influence of magical artifacts, Shangguan Yaoxue's true strength was even less than his. If she stayed behind, it wouldn't serve the purpose of buying time. Only he could stay behind.

At the very least, he had the Ten Thousand Emperors' Robe, which could reduce damage. If there was a chance, he might still have a chance to escape.

...

"This is for you. With these hearts, you will definitely pass the Immortal Dao Examination of the Divine Dawn Sect."

Lin Xi handed over the string of vampire witch hearts from his waist.

"You... You're crazy!"

Shangguan Yaoxue was stunned.

She admitted that she had thought about some despicable "escape" ideas before, but she had never truly intended to do so.

She had inwardly complained about Lin Xi dragging her into this mess.

However, she had never thought about sacrificing Lin Xi to secure her own escape.

Shangguan Yaoxue might have a bit of selfishness, but she was not a cruel, heartless person. What did this guy think of her!

"Go. I don't think you're heartless. Go, and if you pass the Immortal Dao Examination, you might be able to avenge me. Staying here would just be a waste of life."

Lin Xi saw through her thoughts and said calmly.

The Long Family's influence exceeded his expectations. He originally thought they were just a mid-to-lower level faction in the Divine Dawn Sect and couldn't interfere with the Immortal Dao Examination. He didn't expect them to send a Qi Condensation realm practitioner to assassinate him in the Trial Gate.

"They really think highly of me, sending a Qi Condensation realm practitioner to kill me."

Lin Xi laughed bitterly to himself:

"If I get the chance, I will uproot the Long Family completely."

Shangguan Yaoxue looked at Lin Xi's calm face. When she saw the carefree smile on his lips, her eyes suddenly moistened, feeling a strange, indescribable emotion: "This guy..."

Shangguan Yaoxue wasn't a timid person. Although she didn't want to admit it, she knew Lin Xi was right. If they both ran, they would both die.

Biting her lip, Shangguan Yaoxue handed over the Golden Toad.

"This is a secondary-grade middle-tier magical artifact. I've always used it with my blood, so I can't fully unleash its power. I'll temporarily entrust this Golden Toad to you. — Remember, you must return it to me personally! I don't want this magical artifact to fall into that villain's hands."

Shangguan Yaoxue said fiercely.

A middle-tier magical artifact, even a secondary-grade one, was incredibly precious, even for a Qi Condensation realm practitioner. It was impossible to lend it to someone lightly.

However, Shangguan Yaoxue refused to admit the unusual feelings she had for Lin Xi.

Lin Xi was slightly surprised. He originally thought it was just a low-tier magical artifact. He didn't expect it to be a middle-tier one, even if it was a secondary-grade one, it was still very impressive.

"Don't worry. I will return it to you personally. I'm just buying time, not giving up my life."

Lin Xi smiled.

Shangguan Yaoxue clearly wasn't concerned about the magical artifact. By asking him to return it personally, she was actually hoping he would survive. Lin Xi wasn't stupid and could sense the unusual feelings in the young girl's heart.

Shangguan Yaoxue smiled through her tears.

"Go. If we delay any longer, we might not escape."

Lin Xi took the magical artifact and said seriously.

Shangguan Yaoxue didn't hesitate this time. After telling Lin Xi how to use the Golden Toad, she immediately fled towards the Trial Gate.

Lin Xi, left alone, glanced at the rapidly approaching blood-colored rainbow and ran in another direction.